"So Tsunade still refuses to return to Konoha?" The Third Hokage's tone was calm and unruffled, but the look he gave Jiraiya carried a sense of sorrow at his misfortune and anger at his lack of resolve.
Was this merely the gaze of someone hoping Tsunade would return to Konoha?
Wrong.
It was also the gaze of someone hoping he might someday hold another grandchild… Cough. Fine, there was no such latter part. That was only the excessive interpretation of a certain onlooker.
"There's nothing to be done about it. This time, Tsunade felt even more stubborn than before. She didn't even give me a chance to explain… Without communication, naturally I couldn't achieve the goal. It's not as if I could use brute force to drag her back to Konoha. After all, our purpose is to have her return and prepare to succeed as the next Hokage, not to imprison her."
Jiraiya explained, and what he said was indeed the truth.
What the Third Hokage and Jiraiya needed was for Tsunade to willingly return to Konoha and serve as the Fifth Hokage. If she was psychologically resistant, then making her Hokage would be impossible.
…To be honest, the activities these people were carrying out were about to make Shimura Danzō die of anxiety. What was there to be unwilling about when it came to becoming Hokage? If you don't want the position, then let me have it! Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to his demands.
This matter completely put the Third Hokage in a difficult position. Jiraiya stayed in Konoha but refused to become Hokage. Tsunade, who was even more suitable to become Hokage, had no desire to return to Konoha at all… Why did none of his disciples possess the subjective will to become Hokage? Had something gone wrong with his education?
"Since Uncle Jiraiya has failed three times in a row to persuade Lady Tsunade, let me try next time."
At that moment, Yagoromo suddenly spoke.
This matter had merely encountered setbacks. None of the three people present intended to give up directly.
"You?"
The Third Hokage began considering the possibility. However, under circumstances where even Jiraiya could not persuade Tsunade, could Yagoromo really accomplish something with a difficulty coefficient above 9.9?
One could not blame the Hokage for being unable to make up his mind immediately. After all, Yagoromo was sometimes extremely reliable when handling matters, and sometimes extremely unreliable. The problem was that no one knew when he would be reliable and when he would not. He counted as the kind of shinobi who gave people the biggest headaches.
"Yes. For the time being, I still count as a junior. Over the years, I've also occasionally had contact with Lady Tsunade…"
Bah. This way of putting it was really too much. What kind of contact was that supposed to be? Clearly, after getting injured, he had gone to her dryly and shamelessly to ask for medical treatment.
"So at the very least, she shouldn't drive me back without even listening to a word I say. And as long as she's willing to listen to me, that means I have a chance to persuade her."
"Then what method are you planning to use to persuade her?" Jiraiya asked. This was purely out of curiosity, because he had sensed the confidence in Yagoromo's words… Hadn't he seen that Jiraiya's three visits to Tsunade had all failed? Under these circumstances, where did Yagoromo's confidence come from?
"That's temporarily confidential."
Unexpectedly, Yagoromo even kept them in suspense. This made the Third Hokage, who was equally concerned about Yagoromo's method of persuasion, feel gloomy again: Do you know how many years the last Konoha shinobi who spoke to me like this ended up eating dirt for?
"Then go and try." The Third Hokage agreed in the end. After that, he asked, "When are you planning to act?"
"As soon as possible," Yagoromo said.
In truth, the Third Hokage was inclined to have Yagoromo act after the Chūnin Exams ended. But since Yagoromo had decided this, the Hokage did not force anything further.
"Fine. But before the Chūnin Exams, do your best to return to the village."
After thinking about it, Yagoromo understood what the Hokage meant, then said, "I understand."
The Hokage's requirement had no necessary connection to whether Yagoromo's Team Six participated in the exams… During the Chūnin Exams, a whole pile of miscellaneous people from other villages would come to the village. If Yagoromo was in the village, then if any sudden situation occurred, it would be more convenient to handle.
Moreover, his very existence carried deterrent force.
As for whether Team Six participated in the Chūnin Exams, Yagoromo did not think it mattered. In truth, he did not pay much attention to the so-called ranking distinctions between jōnin, chūnin, and genin.
This had to do with his own experience. At the end of the day, Yagoromo had never participated in similar exams. He had been internally promoted all the way up, jumping directly to jōnin in one breath without any effort.
"Speaking of the Chūnin Exams, how did your mission go this time? Did the Kazekage accept our invitation?"
After finishing the matter of Tsunade, the Third Hokage finally remembered Yagoromo's letter-delivery mission.
The Hokage's attitude was very calm. In his view, it was only delivering a letter. Surely Yagoromo could not pull any tricks with that, right?
In reality, he had still underestimated Yagoromo. Even when delivering a letter, Yagoromo could still find a way to make things fancy.
"This matter just so happens to be something I need to explain to you, Lord Hokage… Regarding the Chūnin Exams, Sunagakure will send genin to participate as scheduled, and they have already decided that Sunagakure's adviser, Chiyo, will lead the team. However, whether the Kazekage will come at that time has not been clearly stated. Sunagakure will later dispatch an envoy to Konoha to explain this matter."
"Chiyo?"
Leaving the Kazekage's matter aside for the moment, that team leader's name made the Hokage frown. He had just been about to ask why the other side would send out such a figure, but when his gaze fell on Yagoromo, he immediately understood… Had sending Yagoromo on this trip been a little too stimulating for Sunagakure?
"Also…"
"Also?"
But who would have thought Yagoromo had not finished speaking? Or rather, he had not yet described the main content.
Just the two words "also" were already enough to make the Hokage feel something was wrong.
"In truth, after we arrived at Sunagakure, we discovered that the village was already filled with smoke and gunpowder—in the night before we arrived, Sunagakure had been invaded by enemies."
"Wait!"
The Third Hokage had only listened to the beginning before immediately calling a halt.
"You're certain Sunagakure was invaded before you arrived? It was before, not after? This question is of utmost importance!"
The issue of before and after that the Hokage emphasized so heavily almost made Yagoromo spit out a mouthful of old blood.
Please, where was the basic trust between people? It was one thing for him to be suspected in Sunagakure, but why were his own people suspecting him too?
Yagoromo completely ignored this obvious matter. Why did the Hokage suspect him?
Because he was absolutely worth suspecting.
"I am very, extremely, and absolutely certain that before I arrived, that village had already started smoking," Yagoromo said.
"That's good. Continue."
Yagoromo's somewhat gritted-teeth tone made the Hokage breathe a sigh of relief. No matter what, as long as it was not Yagoromo suddenly getting inspired and blowing up Sunagakure again, that was fine. At the very least, no matter how Sunagakure had been invaded, the alliance between the two nations would not change.
"Sunagakure's facilities seem to have suffered a considerable degree of damage, but personnel losses appear to have been limited… Also, the other side already knows the specific identity of one of the invaders."
"Who was it?"
The Hokage was equally concerned about a shinobi capable of causing losses to a great shinobi village.
"It was the 'genius shinobi' who defected from Sunagakure many years ago—Sasori of the Red Sand," Yagoromo continued. "Later, after completing the contact mission, I tentatively led Team Six to pursue Sunagakure's invaders."
This time, it was the Hokage's turn to vomit blood. Why did you go chasing Sunagakure's missing-nin for no reason?
But this time, Yagoromo had decided to say something serious.
"Then I discovered that Sasori of the Red Sand, whom I restrained, belongs to a certain mysterious organization. Moreover, within this organization, there is also a shinobi from our Konoha—more accurately, a former shinobi and current S-rank missing-nin…"
"Uchiha Itachi."
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